System and method for simplified setup of a universal remote control

ABSTRACT

A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances, via an interactive instruction set and associated programming. The programming is accessible by a STB or other controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions and prompts to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for configuration of another controllable device (e.g., DVD, VCR, DVR, etc) available to the user. Appropriate set up data, generally in the form of command library codes, is displayed to the user by the interactive instruction set and associated programming for entry and trial by the user in set up of the desired appliance(s).

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/026,768, filed on Feb. 14, 2011, whichapplication claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/768,325 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,969,514), filed onApr. 27, 2010, which application claims the benefit of and is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/515,962 (now U.S. Pat. No.7,907,222), filed on Sep. 5, 2006, which application claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/715,229 filed on Sep. 8,2005, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to remote control systems and, moreparticularly, to a system and method for setting up and configuring auniversal remote control to command functions of one or more types ofremotely controllable appliances of one or more manufacturers. Exemplarytypes of appliances include, but are not limited to televisions, videocassette recorders (VCRs), cable boxes, disk players, digital videorecorders (DVRs), thermostats, game consoles, etc.

Manufacturers typically provide a remote control with an appliance and,as such, different appliance types of different manufacturers are oftencommanded with different remote controls. To minimize the number ofindividual remote controls a user requires, universal remote controlshave been developed. Accordingly, universal remote controls forcommanding various functions of various types of appliances of variousmanufacturers have become quite widespread. By way of example, universalremote controls are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos.4,959,810, 5,255,313 and 5,552,917.

In a common method of setting up a universal remote control, codes forcommanding functions of an appliance are learned from a remote controlsupplied by the manufacturer with that appliance. The learned codes,which are stored within the universal remote control, are then availablefor subsequent transmission to the appliance. Alternatively, codes forcommanding functions of appliances of various types and variousmanufacturers can be preprogrammed into the universal remote control.The user then interacts with the universal remote control to identify tothe universal remote control which appliance(s) the user desires tocommand, i.e., the user manually enters an appliance or brand code,usually obtained from a tabulation in a printed user manual or the like,into the universal remote control and the universal remote control usesthat user provided identity information to access those preprogrammedcodes that are appropriate for commanding the identified appliance(s).In this regard, examples of known methods for performing an initialsetup of an universal remote control may be found in, for example, theabove mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,810 as well as U.S. Pat. No.5,614,906, entitled “Method for Selecting a Remote Control Command Set,”or U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,359 entitled “Universal Remote Control Unit withModel Identification Capability,” each of which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

An additional system and method for setting up a universal remotecontrol is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,248.

While known setup methods do work for their intended purpose, it hasbeen seen that the process of setting up and configuring a universalremote control can be demanding, exacting, and generally frustrating formany users. For example, user manuals or other documents containingsetup codes and entry instructions may be lost or misplaced, or may besuperseded as brand and/or model names evolve, etc. Accordingly, a needexists for a simplified and more user friendly system and method formanually setting up and configuring a universal remote control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this need, the following describes a system andmethod for allowing a universal remote control to be easily setup andconfigured to command appliances of various types and variousmanufacturers.

A better appreciation of the objects, advantages, features, properties,and relationships of the system and method for setting up andconfiguring a universal remote control will be obtained from thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forthillustrative embodiments which are indicative of the various ways inwhich the principles of the system and method may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For use in better understanding the exemplary systems and methods forsetting up a universal remote control which are described hereinafter,reference may be had to preferred embodiments shown in the followingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system in which the universal remotecontrol may be used;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary universal remote controlfor use in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram view of various components of theexemplary universal remote control of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate the system of FIG. 1 at various stagesduring initial setup of the exemplary universal remote control;

FIG. 7 illustrates, in flow chart form, the steps performed duringinitial setup of the exemplary universal remote control;

FIG. 8 illustrates the system of FIG. 1 at various stages during anexemplary key mapping setup of the exemplary remote control;

FIG. 9 illustrates, in flow chart form, the steps performed during keymapping setup of the exemplary remote control; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an instruction sheet for an exemplary alternatemethod for key mapping setup of a remote control.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following describes a system and methods for setting up andconfiguring a universal remote control to command one or more functionsof one or more types of appliances of one or more manufacturers. By wayof example, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 110 wherein auniversal remote control 100 supplied together with a cable set top box102 may be used to command functions of various appliances, illustratedas a TV set 104 and a VCR 106.

For use in remotely commanding a device to perform a common and/orextended operational function (i.e., a function that may not be widelysupported by devices of a common device type), the universal remotecontrol 100, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 2, includes aset of command keys within a key matrix which are assigned tooperational functions. In this regard, common operational functionsinclude functions that are usually widely supported by devices of acommon device type (e.g., power 202, digit tuning 204, volume control208, channel up/down control 206, media transport 210, etc.) Theuniversal remote control 100 also includes device keys 212, e.g., “AUX,”“CBL,” “VCR,” and “TV,” the activation of which places the universalremote control 100 into a mode to transmit commands to a particular typeof device, and a setup key 208. It will be appreciated that, whileillustrated as hard keys, the keys of the universal remote control 100may implemented as soft keys, for example, by being displayed on an LCDtouch screen or the like. By way of further example, referring to FIG.3, the universal remote control 100 may include, as needed for aparticular application, a processor 300 coupled to one or more memorydevices (such as a ROM memory 308, a RAM memory 310, and/or non-volatileread/write memory 306), a key matrix 302 (e.g., physical buttons, atouch screen display, or a combination thereof), an internal clock andtimer 301, transmission circuit(s) 304 (e.g., IR and/or RF), receivercircuit(s) and/or transceiver circuit(s) (e.g., IR and/or RF—notillustrated), a means 303 to provide visual feedback to the consumer(e.g, LED, display, and/or the like), means to provide audio feedback tothe user (e.g., a speaker—not illustrated), a power supply 307, and/or aserial I/O port (e.g., a jack or contacts—not illustrated). As will beunderstood by those of skill in the art, the memory device(s) includesexecutable instructions that are intended to be executed by theprocessor 300 to control the operation of the universal remote control100. In this manner, the processor 100 may be programmed to control thevarious electronic components within the universal remote control 100,e.g., to monitor the power supply 307, to cause the transmission ofsignals, display icons and/or HTML pages, etc. The non-volatileread/write memory 306, for example, an EEPROM or the like, may beprovided to store setup data and parameters as necessary such that datais not required to be reloaded after battery changes. It is to beunderstood that the memory devices may take the form of any type ofreadable media, such as, for example, a Smart Card, memory stick, achip, a hard disk, a magnetic disk, and/or an optical disk. Stillfurther, it will be appreciated that some or all of the illustratedmemory devices may be physically incorporated within the same IC chip asthe microprocessor 300 (a so called “microcontroller”) and, as such,they are shown separately in FIG. 3 only for the sake of clarity.

To cause the universal remote control 100 to perform an action, theuniversal remote control 100 is adapted to be responsive to events, suchas a sensed consumer interaction with the key matrix 302, receipt of atransmission, etc. In response to an event appropriate instructionsand/or data within the memory devices are executed and/or accessed. Forexample, when a command key is activated on the universal remote control100, the universal remote control 100 may retrieve a code data valuecorresponding to the activated command key from a memory device andaccess instructions to transmit the retrieved code data value to adevice in a format recognizable by the device. It will be appreciatedthat the instructions within the memory devices can be used not only tocause the transmission of command codes and/or data to the devices butalso to perform local operations. While not limiting, local operationsthat may be performed by the universal remote control 100 includedisplaying information/data, favorite channel setup, macro button setup,command function key relocation, etc. Since examples of local operationscan be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,481,256, 5,959,751, and 6,014,092 theywill not be discussed in greater detail herein.

To initially program the universal remote control 100 to access theoperational functions of a device, the consumer may use an improvedsystem and method for obtaining, entering, and testing device codeinformation, one exemplary embodiment of which is described hereafter.

Turning now to FIG. 4, in an exemplary embodiment a remote control 100may be supplied together with a cable or satellite set top box (“STB”)102. Remote control 100 may include a universal library of infraredcodes for use in controlling other types of appliances which arecommonly utilized in conjunction with a set top box, such as for examplea TV 104 and/or a VCR 106. To facilitate setting up remote control 100to command operation of appliances 104, 106, STB 102 may be equippedwith data 404 and application program 406, preferably stored locallywithin STB 102 on mass storage 402 or on a device otherwise accessibleto STB 102. It will be appreciated that mass storage 402 may take theform of flash memory, ROM memory, RAM memory, memory card or stick, harddisk drive, CD ROM, etc., or any combination of the above asappropriate. It will be further appreciated that data 404 andapplication 402 may be periodically updated over the cable networkand/or may in certain embodiments even be partially or fully resident atthe cable headend or other remote source accessible by STB 102. The data404 and application 402 may also be updated using a device other thanthe STB 102. For example, if the data 404 and application 402 aremaintained on removable memory, the removable memory may be updated viaa personal computer or other device with an Internet connection and thenreplaced into the STB 102. It should also be appreciated that while theexemplary embodiment below is presented in terms of interactions betweena remote control 100 and an application 402 resident in an STB, inalternative embodiments application 402 may be hosted on, and theinteractions may occur with, any suitable appliance such as a TV, DVR,AV receiver, etc. without limitation.

Application 406 is responsive to IR signals issued by remote control 100during the user setup process as illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 7and described below:

The user enters a Setup Mode by, for example, pressing and holding setupkey 208. The entering of the Setup Mode may be signaled to a user by theLED 303 blinking twice (e.g., upon pressing and holding the setup keyfor approximately 3 seconds). Upon entering Setup Mode the remotecontrol transmits a specific “setup” IR code to STB 102 which isinterpreted as a command to initiate the “Remote Setup/Help” application406. Alternatively or as a backup, in certain embodiments application406 may also be invoked from STB 102′s built-in menu system, uponactivation of a dedicated key on the STB 102, etc.

In connection with entering the setup mode, the remote control 100 mayconfigure its keyboard as follows:

-   -   Navigation (Left, Right, Up, Down and Select/OK keys) 214, Exit        key 216, and device keys 212 are adapted to cause transmission        of infrared command data in the format recognized by STB 102;    -   Digit entry keys 204 do not transmit commands but serve only for        input of appliance setup codes as described hereafter; and    -   Function keys such as volume 208, channel up/down 206, transport        keys 210, etc. are adapted to cause transmission of infrared        command data in the format of the appliance under test as        described hereafter.

In connection with the following paragraphs, the reader may wish torefer to FIG. 7 which presents, in flowchart form, a summary of thesteps described below and illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 6. Uponinitiation, STB application 406 may display on TV 104 a user prompt suchas for example: “What device do you want to setup for control?” togetherwith a list of valid device types, e.g. “TV”, “VCR”, “Receiver”, etc.The application 406 may also prompt the user to select an appropriatelanguage for the prompts. Application 406 may additionally displaymessages for general user guidance such as for example “Press Exit atany time to exit remote setup and return to watching TV.”

In the exemplary embodiment the user may then select, using navigationkeys 214, a desired device type from the displayed list, for example“VCR.” In an alternative embodiment, the user may directly select thedevice type by actuating one of the device keys 212 of the remotecontrol, which may in that instance be adapted to transmit a signal tothe STB indicative of the device type selected. Application 406 mayrespond by displaying a confirmation of the selected device typetogether with scrollable list 410 of valid brand names for that devicetype, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The brand names that comprise this listare obtained by reference to data file 404. In this way it will beunderstood that certain keys or groups of keys on remote control 100 maybe temporarily reconfigured (generally during the setup procedure) totransmit command data to STB for purposes of user interaction withapplication 406 during the setup process.

The user may then select (once again via use of keys 214) a desiredbrand name, for example “Samsung.” Application 406 may respond bydisplaying the remote control setup code number most likely to result inselection of an infrared code set which will operate appliances of thetype and manufacture indicated (once again, obtained by reference todata 404). In the exemplary embodiment presented, this number mayinclude a leading digit to indicate to the remote control programmingwhich device type is to be setup, e.g. “2” for “VCR”. In alternativeembodiments where the user may already have explicitly entered thedevice type being set up via one of the keys 212, this may not benecessary.

The user may then enter this number, for example “2” “0” “0” “6” “0”(502 in FIG. 5), into remote control 100 using digit entry keys 204.Upon entry of the final digit of the sequence, remote control 100:

Configures itself to transmit commands in the indicated infrared commandformat in response to actuation of function keys 206, 208, 210, etc.,and

Transmits an infrared command in STB format to notify the STBapplication 406 that device code entry is complete.

Upon receipt of the completion signal from remote control 100, STBapplication 406 may display a listing of suggested function(s) 602 totest operation of the target appliance using the code just entered,together with a user message to, for example, press “setup” if thesuggested code works, or to press “select” to try a different code, allas illustrated in FIG. 6.

If the user activates the “setup” key, indicative that the current codebeing tested has been found suitable to command operation of theappliance, remote control 100 again transmits a completion signal in STBinfrared format, which is interpreted by application 406 in STB 102 as asuccessful conclusion of the setup process and causes application 406 toterminate execution, returning STB 100 to normal operation. Likewise,remote control 100 also returns to normal operation, configured now toissue commands in the chosen format that device type (VCR in the examplepresented) is selected by activation of one of keys 212.

If on the other hand, the user activates the “select” key, indicativethat the current code being tested is unable to command operation of theappliance, remote control 100 transmits the “select” command signal inSTB infrared format, which causes application 406 to retrieve anddisplay the next most likely setup code number contained in data 404, sothat the user may repeat the test steps using this new code. This setupprocess may continue until the user finally exits by activating the“setup” or “exit” key, or alternatively, data 404 may include anindicator that no further possibilities exist, upon eventual retrievalof which application 406 may cause a display of instructions to the userto abort the setup process by pressing the “exit” key and, for example,call a customer service number. In an alternate embodiment, application406 may be configured to monitor command data transmitted from remotecontrol 100 during the setup process for use in automaticallyprogressing through the various setup instructions and promptsassociated with the setup application. By way of example only,application 406 may be configured to monitor command data transmittedfrom remote control 100 in order to echo key presses on the TV screen asa means of visual verification to the user that a setup code was enteredcorrectly, or to present prompts such as “Did your DVD player respond tothe Power On command? Press “1” for yes, or press “0” for no” whereuponreceipt of either the “1” or “0” key command data will cause application406 to proceed automatically to another instruction or prompt in thesetup procedure.

In certain embodiments, after the appropriate command code sets for thedevices to be controlled have been selected as described above, it maybe desirable to further configure certain operational characteristics ofremote control 100. In particular, as described for example in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,947,101 or 7,013,434 (both of like assignee and incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety) it may be advantageous to assigncertain subsets of the keys of remote control 100 to always transmitcommand codes corresponding to a specific device. As appropriate for aparticular embodiment, this may take the form of a fixed assignment ofcertain keys to always send the same code regardless of the devicecurrently selected via device keys 212 (as described in theaforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,947,101) or this may take the form of aseparate special page or device mode (e.g. “Home Theater mode”)comprised of a composite of groups of key functions from other devicemodes (as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,434), orsome combination thereof. For example, users whose equipment isconfigured to route all audio signals through their a/v receiver maywish to have the volume keys 208 of exemplary remote control 100 alwaystransmit commands that are intended to control corresponding operationsof the receiver (i.e., the device code setup on the AUX mode key 220).Cable or satellite subscribers may wish to have the channel tuning keys206 and numeric pad 204 always transmit commands that are intended tocontrol corresponding operations of the STB (it will be appreciated thatremote controls which are supplied together with a STB may already befactory pre-configured in this manner, however remote controls offeredas aftermarket accessories and/or supplied together with otherappliances may not be.)

To this end, upon completion of device setup, application 406 mayinteractively prompt the user to enter information regarding deviceusage and system configuration, which information may then be used toconfigure key assignments, automatically program macro command sequencessuch as “all on”, “all off”, “watch a movie”, etc., or for any otherappropriate remote control configuration purpose. An exemplary methodfor performing key mapping is illustrated in FIG. 8 and summarized inflowchart form in FIG. 9. By way of this example, upon initiation ofthis particular setup operation, which may be initiated in a mannersimilar to that described above, application 406 may display on TV 104 amessage 802 requesting that the user indicate to the remote controlwhich device is normally used for controlling system volume. In theexample presented, the choices 803 are TV, audio receiver, or VCR.Without limitation, this list may include all device types supportingthe operation for which is setup is desired, be limited to those devicetypes that the system has learned, through the initial configurationprocess, are to be controlled via the remote control, etc. The user maythen indicate to the remote control which of the listed devices is to beused for this operation by activation of an appropriate one of thedevice keys 212 (“TV”, “Aux” or “VCR” in this instance). Activation of adevice key may then cause the remote control 100 to set it's internalkey mapping for volume control (i.e., the command codes which are to betransmitted by the volume and mute keys 208 during normal operation) tomatch the device indicated. Remote control 100 may also transmit aspecific command code to STB 102 indicating that a volume selection hasbeen made. Receipt of this command by the STB may cause application 406to display the next user prompt 804 on TV 104, requesting user selectionof the device usually used for movie playback. In a similar manner, auser selection of playback device may be performed. With reference tothe flowchart of FIG. 9 (902,904), in systems where remote control 100was supplied in conjunction with STB 102 and application 406 is residentin the STB, the step of selecting a channel tuning device may bebypassed since in this instance it is the STB by default. In othersituations, the user may be prompted 806 to specify a device to be usedfor channel tuning, once again in a similar manner to that previouslydescribed. Upon completion of this stage of the setup process, incertain embodiments remote control 100 may also adjust 906 macro commandsequences (such as “all on” or “all off”, or activity initiating macrossuch as “watch a movie”) as required by the newly-entered devicepreferences.

Turning now to FIG. 10, in certain embodiments where application 406 isnot available to or is not supported by the STB and/or a display devicesuch as TV 104 is not readily available (for example, in instances wherethe remote control configuration is being performed prior to theequipment being hooked up, where an earlier generation STB which doesnot support additional applications is still in use, etc.) analternative method of configuring key mapping assignments may be offeredeither in place of or in conjunction with the methods presented above.This may take the form of a configuration table 1002 made available tothe user of remote control 102 for example by publication in the usermanual, posting on a Web site, etc. Table 1002 may comprise a matrixlisting key groups 1004 together with possible permutations 1006 and anidentifier 1008 for each (e.g., a number). In this example, users ofremote control 100 may be instructed to invoke a special setup mode(e.g. by activating a specific sequence of keys on remote control 100)and then input the indicated identification data for their systemconfiguration. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10, auser who changes channels via a cable STB, routes his audio signalsthrough an AV receiver, and uses a DVD player to watch movies may entercode “0”,“3”, corresponding to the configuration represented by row 1010of the illustrated table.

It will be appreciated that all or part of data 404 and/or application406 may be downloaded into STB 102 (or other application host device asappropriate) from a cable or satellite headend, the internet, the PSTN,etc., as is well known in the art, either as a periodic update or ondemand when the remote control setup feature is invoked. In this manner,the data used to guide the user through the setup process may berefreshed whenever new or revised brand names or cross references occur,to allow for language expansion, etc. Further, in situations wheremultiple remote control models or revisions have been offered by asupplier of the STB or other host device, alternative data sets 404 maybe downloaded, for example based on user response to an initial screendisplaying images of the various remote control versions.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been describedin detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications and alternatives to those details could bedeveloped in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Forexample, it should be appreciated that any of the above describedmethods can be used alone or in combination to setup the remote control100. Additionally, as noted, the functionality of the universal remotecontrol 100 can be included in other controlling devices such as PDAs,personal computers, home devices, or the like. Further, while theexemplary embodiment above is presented in terms of interactions betweena set top box and a universal remote control, it will be appreciatedthat many other appliance types, e.g. TVs, PVRs, DVDs, PCs, etc. may besubstituted for the STB without altering the spirit of the invention.Accordingly, it will be understood that the particular arrangements andprocedures disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limitingas to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadthof the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.

All of the cited patents and patent applications are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

1. A system for use in setting up a controlling device used to command aplurality of controllable appliances, the system comprising: a remoteserver having an associated data repository in which is storedinstruction data for use in connection with setting up the controllingdevice; and a first controllable appliance in communication with theremote server, the first controllable appliance having a processingdevice and a computer readable media on which is stored executableinstructions which, when executed by the processing device, cause thefirst controllable appliance to respond to a signal received from thecontrolling device indicative of the controlling device being placedinto a state in which the controlling device is to be setup to command asecond controllable appliance by initiating a display of instructionsfor setting up the controlling device to command the second controllableappliance; wherein the displayed instructions are based at least in parton instruction data received from the remote server.
 2. The method asrecited in claim 1, wherein the displayed instructions comprise an inputelement activation sequence to be used on input elements of thecontrolling device to thereby setup the controlling device to commandthe second controllable appliance
 3. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the instruction data is provided automatically to the firstcontrollable device by the remote server.
 4. The system as recited inclaim 1, wherein at least a portion of the executable instructions areprovided to the first controllable appliance from the remote server. 5.The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least a portion of theexecutable instructions are provided automatically to the firstcontrollable appliance by the remote server.
 6. The system as recited inclaim 1, wherein the remote server and the first controllable applianceare in communication via a wide area network.
 7. The system as recitedin claim 1, wherein the first controllable appliance responds to thesignal received from the controlling device indicative of thecontrolling device being placed into a state in which the controllingdevice is to be setup to command a second controllable appliance byinitiating a display of a series of navigable menus wherein thenavigable menus are provided to lead to the display of the instructionsfor setting up the controlling device to command the second controllableappliance
 8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the series ofnavigable menus provide for a user to select a device type and brand ofthe second controllable appliance.